US: Waitress dies after head is crushed in dumbwaiter

A waitress has died after her head was crushed in a dumbwaiter at a restaurant in Wisconsin.

Brooke Baures suffered severe head injuries resulting in "sustained fatal crushing injuries to her brainstem and cerebellum," a post-mortem examination has found.

The 21-year-old was working at WingDam Saloon and Grill in Fountain City when the accident happened on 1 December.

According to witness statements she was the only person who could have pressed the control button for the dumbwaiter on the upper floor.

It's believed her head was almost entirely inside the machine when it descended, dragging her down.

According to The Winona Daily News a distraught colleague told a 911 dispatcher: "I think one of my co-workers got (caught) in, like, our dumbwaiter, but I'm not willing to look close enough."

Describing the incident a Fountain City Police officer said: "The cook, who was located in the kitchen, heard the food elevator begin to descend to his access point on the first floor. He didn't hear vocalizations of any kind. When the cab landed on the first floor he walked up expecting to see dirty dishes and immediately recognized that a person was trapped inside."

Ms Baures died at the scene.

The dumbwaiter did not have any doors, requiring operators to keep clear of the device as it rose or descended. It has since been removed from the restaurant.